Vacuum cleaner



May l2, 1931. w, J, FRAM 1,804,410

YA CUUM CLEANER Filed Jan. 14. `1929 2 sheets-shew, l

/N VEN To@ w. J. FRAME VACUUM CLEANER May E2, w31. l

2 sheets-shew.

Filed Jan. 14. 1929 Patented May 12,- 1931 UNITED STATES WILLIAM JOHNSTON FRAME, OF LONDON, ENGLAND VACUUM CLEANER Application filed January 1d, 1929, Serial Nq. 332,432, and in Great Britain February 11, 1928.

f prior patent'application No. 1967 34 the said modification enabling the construction to be made of a simpler and more compact charac- According to the invention a hand operated suction sweeper of the kind referred to having a suction iioor nozzle connected by one or more ducts to the inlet or inlets of the fan casing vis provided wherein the suction floor nozzle embodies a rotary brush or brushes which is or are driven from one or more floor wheels also arranged to drive the fan spindle by a direct frictional drive during the forward movement of the machine.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example a construction according to the` invention and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to the invention, part.

of the operating handle being broken' away, Figure 2 is a plan partly in section, and Figure 3 is a sectional elevation through line AMA of Fig. 2.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the machine comprises a main casing 1 embodying a fan casing 2 and formed with a suction orifice or floor suction nozzle 3 beneatli itsfoiward end adapted to rest upon or near to the surface to be cleaned. The nozzle contains two rotary brushes 4 mounted on spindles carried centrally by the floor casing and at each end by the nozzle casing` The outer ends of these spindles project through the end walls of the nozzle casing and carry toothed gears 5 through the medium of which thebrusli spindles are rotated as hereinafter described.

The floor wheels 6 are mounted on stub spindles 7 projecting outwardly from plates 8 pivoted at 9 to the outer ends of the nozzle casing said plates being allowed-free pivotal movement within limits prescribed by slots 10 inthe plates through which extend limiting pins 11 fixed to the nozzle casing. The floor wheels, which are preferably rubber tyred, are rotatably mounted on the stub spindles 7 and their hubs are formed as toothed bosses 12 which engage the gears 5 at the ends of the brush spindles, these brush spindles being carried in bearings in the pivoted plates 8 so that the toothed bosses and the gears on the brush spindles are always maintained in engagement. To permit this the end walls of the nozzle casing are slotted to allow movement of the brush spindles with the pivoted plates.

The arrangement of the plates 8 is such that when the machine is pushed forwards ovei` the floor or other surface to be cleaned the floor wheels 6 are pressed into engagement with the ends of the fan spindle 13, which projects through the ends of the nozzle casing as shown. When the machine is pulled backwards over the surface, however, the plates 8 move about their pivots 9 so as to disengage the fioor wheels from the ends of the fan spindle and so permit the fan to continue to rotate by its own momentum after the floor wheels have ceased to drive it.

lThe fan spindle 13 is surrounded by two sleeves 13a which project inwardly from the ends of the nozzle casing shown in the section Figurel 3 and which serve to prevent threads, and the like. from winding around the spindle 13 when the machine is in operation. The outer ends of the cylindrical casings constituted by the sleeves 13a are closed by dust proof washers or equivalent devices through which the spindle 13 projects and which serve to prevent ingress of dust to the spindle bearings.

The rear end of the casing is provided with a roller or like support 14 and the casing has an operating handle 15 pivoted thereto and adapted to support one end of a bag filter (not shown) which is detachably coupled to the fan casing delivery 16, in the same way as the bag filter described and shown in specication.

1n the operation of the device above described and on the forward movement of the cleaner, the floor wheels 6 are caused to engage and rotate the fan spindle by frictional driving engagement therewith. On the return or rearward movement, however, the fan spindle recedes from the drivin" wheels owing to the pivotal mounting of: the plate 8 and the frictional engagement between the fan spindle and the driving wheels is automatically broken thus allowing the spindle and impeller to free wheel and continue to rotate in the one direction under its acquired momentum. Owing to the continuous driving connection between the floor wheel toot-hed hubs or bosses 12 and the gears 5 on the brush spindles, the brushes are rotated alternately in opposite directions so that the suction cleaningoperation proceeds continuously so long as the operator continues to move the sweeper backwards and forwards over the surface.

In the form shown, the fan spindle is mounted on ball bearings with its axis above but to the rear of the axles of the floor driving wheels. This form may be varied by placing the axis of the fan spindle above 'the axles of the Hoor driving wheelsin any position round the upper circumference of same and in this case the spindle of the fan impeller may always be in drivino engagement with the floor wheels and the free wheeling action would then be obtained with a clutch device fitted between the fan spindle and the impeller. The weight of the cleaner alon with the push of the operator is so arrange as to be taken mainly through the driving wheels to the floor or carpet to be cleaned in order to ensure .good frictional contact between the driving wheels and the floor. The fan impeller is preferably mounted rigidly on its spindle and may be of any suitable type but is preferably of the double entry outward radial iow type shown which delivers the air into a volute formed as part-of the fan casing and having preferably a tangential outlet therefrom to which the bag lter is at- I tached at 15 as already described.

In the form of construction above described the lower forward end of the fan casing as shown on Figure 3 projects into the nozzle between the two brushes and the inner ends of the brush spindles are carried in bearings formed in bosses in the side walls of this casing. This construction may be modified however, by altering the proportions of the parts and employing a single brush extending completely across the nozzle opening.

I claim y 1. A hand operated suction sweeper comprising a fan, a fan casing, a fan spindle whose ends project through the sides of said casing, a pair of floor wheels adapted to drive said spindle by frictional engagement, a pair of plates mounted on the sides of said fan casing and capable of limited pivotal movement, spindles for said floor wheels carried by said plates, a suction floor nozzle, a brush rotatably mounted in said nozzle, said plates constituting bearing supports for the ends of the brush spindle, and gears carried by said floor wheels and meshing continuously with gears mounted at the ends of said brush.

2. A hand operated suction sweeper according to claim 1 wherein the forward end of the fan casing projects into the nozzle btween two rotary brushes, the inner ends of the spindles of said brushes being carried in bearings formed in the walls of the said fan casing.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON FRAME. 

